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Jabez McClelland received his B.A. in physics and music from Wesleyan University and his Ph.D. in physics from the University of Texas at Austin. He started as a postdoc in the Electron Physics Group at NIST in 1984 and has been there ever since—a NIST lifer, as it were. His work has covered a wide range of topics, from spin-polarized electron scattering and laser-excited atoms to laser-cooling-based nanotechnology, and most recently, neuromorphic computing.

Scott Weaver is the director of the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program (NWIRP) at NIST. Prior to coming to NIST, Scott was the senior climate scientist for the Environmental Defense Fund, and he spent eight years as a research meteorologist for NASA and NOAA. He is also an adjunct associate professor in the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Science at the University of Maryland. 

Phil Mintz is the Director of the North Carolina Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NCMEP) and the Executive Director of NC State Industry Expansion Solutions (IES).

At NCMEP, Phil drives outreach to NC manufacturers, builds relationships with federal and state leaders and coordinates efforts to drive profitable manufacturing growth in the state. He also leads the broader IES Extension Operations outreach unit of regional managers, technical specialists and business development leaders providing business engagement, assessment and improvement tools. This includes statewide peer networks, ISO 9000 quality management systems, Six Sigma, Lean manufacturing, environmental services, and health and safety solutions. The unit also serves the healthcare and government sectors, in addition to manufacturing. Phil has 25 years of manufacturing and engineering experience, including 10 years as an IES Regional Manager and specialist in quality management and Lean Six Sigma services.

He has developed plant layouts for cellular manufacturing applications, created and adjusted work standards for electronic manufacturing processes, and developed and evaluated product/process changes for improved production and maintenance support.

Phil has a B.S. degree in engineering operations from North Carolina State University and an MS in industrial engineering from North Carolina A&T State University.

To learn more about NCMEP visit https://www.ncmep.org/.

Michael Garris is a senior scientist and founder/chair of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Community of Interest at NIST where he has worked for the past 32 years with a technical focus in the areas of AI, image processing, pattern recognition and biometrics. Mr. Garris has served as co-chair for the President’s National Science and Technology Council’s (NSTC) Subcommittee on Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence (ML/AI), and is a member of the NSTC Networking and Information Technology Research and Development (NITRD) Subcommittee’s AI R&D Interagency Working Group, chairing its AI R&D Discussion Series. In 2016, Mr. Garris co-authored two national strategy reports, “Preparing for the Future of Artificial Intelligence,” and “The National Artificial Intelligence Research and Development Strategic Plan.”

Missouri Enterprise was founded in 1983 and our mission is really quite simple. It’s to help Missouri businesses, like yours, succeed. To do that, we provide a broad range of hands-on business, technical and manufacturing optimization services, delivered by an experienced, “been there, done that,” staff and a comprehensive network of public and private partners. We help Missouri manufacturers build cultures to support and sustain continuous improvement.

Buckley Brinkman is the Executive Director/CEO of the Wisconsin Center for Manufacturing and Productivity (WCMP). He is also a representative for the MEP National Network a unique public-private partnership that delivers comprehensive, proven solutions to U.S. manufacturers, fueling growth and advancing U.S. manufacturing. Leading the WCMP since June 2011, Brinkmann has brought more than 25 years of transformational manufacturing leadership to organization, with a breadth of experience in helping companies drive growth, world-class competitiveness and performance excellence.

J. Chancy Lyford is the Division Chief for External Affairs, Performance and Support at the U.S. Department of Commerce National Institute of Standards and Technology's Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP).  He was previously the Executive Officer of program. Prior to his joining MEP in 2015, he served for four years as the Deputy Associate Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration's (SBA) Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) program. Chancy worked for twelve years as a SBDC Program Manager where he held a portfolio with oversight responsibility of more than $30 million in federal funds. During his tenure as a Program Manager, he spent two years overhauling the SBA's Office of Women's Business Ownership after being called upon to be the program’s (Acting) Deputy Assistant Administrator. Chancy served in various roles at SBA, including Chief of Staff to the Deputy Administrator, Senior Advisor in the Office of Policy, and as a Public Affairs Officer.